PM Modi Leads Grand Roadshow in Varanasi Before Nomination Filing

New Delhi/Varanasi: Prime Minister Narendra Modi on Monday held a six-kilometre-long roadshow in his parliamentary constituency Varanasi, which was decked with posters and garlands throughout the route. Mr Modi will file his nomination papers on Tuesday from Varanasi for the third time as the BJP-led NDA chases an ambitious target of “400 paar”.

Before beginning his roadshow, the PM garlanded the statue of Pandit Madan Mohan Malviya outside the Banaras Hindu University (BHU).

Mr Modi was accompanied by Uttar Pradesh chief minister Yogi Adityanath and BJP UP chief Bhupendra Chaudhury. Beginning from the famous Lanka Chowk right outside the BHU, the roadshow ended near the Kashi Vishwanath temple, and along the route passed through nearly 120 big and small temples and various ghats.

Later, the PM offered prayers at the Kashi Vishwanath temple. Varanasi will go to polls in the seventh and the last phase of the Lok Sabha polls on June 1. The mega roadshow passed through Sant Ravidas Gate, Assi, Shivala, Sonarpura, Jangambadi and Godaulia.

The roadshow reverberated with the sounds of conches, dhols and damrus to welcome the PM. Hundreds of people were seen in saffron attire while people from different states in their traditional attire were also part of the gathering.

People lined the barricaded roads, some of them holding saffron flags, balloons and small “trishuls”. Small stages were set up along the route where cultural performances were held. Cutouts of famous people from Kashi were also installed in many places.

People from different communities, including Marathi, Gujarati, Bengali, Maheshwari, Marwari, Tamil and Punjabi, welcomed Mr Modi at 100 points in 11 zones marked out on the route of the roadshow.

Two hours after the roadshow began from the Malviya Chauraha in Varanasi’s Lanka area, the Prime Minister reached the Kashi Vishwanath temple and offered prayers.

The PM also shared a video of the roadshow on the social media platform ‘X’ and said, “Kashi is special... The warmth and affection of the people here is unbelievable.”

The PM will spend the night at the BLW guest house.

On Tuesday, the PM will file his nomination papers after offering prayers at the Kaal Bhairav temple. Mr Modi may also offer prayers at the Dashashwamedh Ghat on the banks of the Ganga around 9 am, a BJP statement issued in Lucknow said. As per his itinerary, the PM may also take a cruise trip to the Namo Ghat in the city ahead of filing nomination papers.

Following the nomination process, Mr Modi will hold a meeting with BJP workers at the Rudraksha Convention Centre. Mr Modi is also expected to take a dip in the Ganga river on the occasion of Ganga Saptami on Tuesday.

Several ministers, including Union home minister Amit Shah and defence minister Rajnath Singh, chief ministers of the BJP and NDA-ruled states and leaders of the party are likely to accompany Mr Modi to the collectorate.

The BJP’s NDA partners Lok Dal president Jayant Chaudhary, LJP chief Chirag Paswan, Apna Dal (S) president Anupriya and Suheldev Bharatiya Samaj Party president Omprakash Rajbhar are also expected to attend, the statement said.

Besides UP CM Adityanath, chief ministers Nitish Kumar of Bihar, Pushkar Singh Dhami of Uttarakhand, Mohan Yadav of Madhya Pradesh, Vishn Deo Sai of Chhattisgarh, Eknath Shinde of Maharashtra, Bhajan Lal Sharma of Rajasthan, Himanta Biswa Sharma of Assam, Nayab Singh Saini of Haryana, Pramod Sawant of Goa, Prem Singh Tamang of Sikkim and Manik Saha of Tripura are also likely to attend the Prime Minister’s nomination filing.